Bratislava, Slovakia

We travelled by bus from Vienna to Bratislava where our guide took us on a short walk through the Old City. Fortunately we started at the highest section which takes us through the old gate into the once fortified city, then the walk was a gentle down-hill stroll through winding alleys and lanes past old buildings now turned into Irish Pubs, Scottish Pubs and even a Meixcan Cantina. Our walk took us into the old city square where the Town Hall was situated. Further along we came out of the alleyways to walk past the National Theatre where our guide expained that a lot of residents from Vienna would travel to Bratislava for a dinner and show, then return home, saving quite a bit of money than if they had gone to a theatric show in Vienna.

Next stop was the hill-top fortress with its great views over the old city, Danube and the apartment blocks on the other side of the river.

After lunch we were taken to have coffee and cake at a local's village house in the foothills of Little Carpathians. The lady who owned the house took us through her garden of apple and pear trees, various grapes vines, vegetables and various strawberries and blackberries. There was not a weed to be seen, and the garden seemed to 'hum' with fresh vibrations.

After this lovely alternative style tour, we headed back up the Danube, past Vienna to rejoin our ship which had managed to navigate the low river levels between Deggendorf and Passau. What a welcome we were given when we reboarded the ship! And it was so lovely to get back into our cabins again. I spoke to one of the passengers who had stayed on board who described the sound of the ship's haul scrapping along a couple of sections of the river as it sailed through the shallow waters. He also informed me the swimming pool had been emptied to lighten the ship, and while we were away, the crew were scrubbing the ship from 'top to toe'.  It is so nice to be back, However I would like to mention Markas our Cruise Director and head office for Emerald Cruises who did a great job organising a hotel for about 130 people to stay in, buses to pick us up and return us, booking restaurants for our lunches and tour guides for each bus. A five star effort. *****

I am actually writing this section whilst we are sailing down the Daube, the ship has sailed continuously since we reboarded, with the hope we will arrive in Budapest around 6-7pm. Our city tour this afternoon will not happen, and looking outside our cabin window, I am quite pleased to sit here watching the various changes in the river banks as the rain is pouring down. There have been people camping on the banks, fishing rods out and lines in the water, and their tents erected under a tree. One more sleep before we say goodbye to the many lovely friends we have made and disembark to travel to Prague for our next journey.